1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to data processing systems and, in particular, to a data processing system and method for maintaining secure blocks of data within the system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a data processing system and method for maintaining secure blocks of data within the system by encrypting the blocks of data utilizing a hardware master key pair.
2. Description of the Related Art
Personal computer systems are well known in the art. They have attained widespread use for providing computer power to many segments of today's modern society. Personal computers (PCs) may be defined as a desktop, floor standing, or portable microcomputer that includes a system unit having a central processing unit (CPU) and associated volatile and non-volatile memory, including random access memory (RAM) and basic input/output system read only memory (BIOS ROM), a system monitor, a keyboard, one or more flexible diskette drives, a CD-ROM drive, a fixed disk storage drive (also known as a “hard drive”), a pointing device such as a mouse, and an optional network interface adapter. One of the distinguishing characteristics of these systems is the use of a motherboard or system planar to electrically connect these components together. Examples of such personal computer systems are IBM's PC 300 series, Aptiva series, and Intellistation series.
Encryption algorithms are known to ensure that only the intended recipient of a message can read and access the message. One known encryption algorithm is an asymmetric, or public key, algorithm. The public key algorithm is a method for encrypting messages sent from a first computer system to a second computer system. This algorithm provides for a key pair including a public key and a private key for each participant in a secure communication. This key pair is unique to each participant. An example of such an encryption scheme is an RSA key pair system.
With the proliferation of Internet services, a need has arisen to identify and authenticate the remote users. For example, an Internet electronic mail service requires a user's name and password prior to permitting access to the user's account. Many other Internet services also require a user's name and password prior to permitting access.
In order to provide more efficient access to these services, an Internet service may provide a block of data, commonly called a “cookie”, to a client computer system which includes information typically needed by the service. The cookie includes information associated with both a particular user and the service which provided the cookie. The cookie often includes the associated user's name, and password, and may include the user's credit card information, address, preferences for using the service, and other data. Therefore, a cookie stores information associated with a particular user for a particular service.
A single user may have many cookies stored on the user's computer. The cookies are not secure. An unauthorized user could copy a user's cookies to another computer system, and thereby gain access to the valuable information stored within the cookies.
Therefore a need exists for a data processing system and method for maintaining secure data blocks.